Roncesvalles Refugee Relief gratefully acknowledges the support of the following for Supporting RRR

Winter Spring Donor Events

Be sure to check out these great ongoing RRR sponsorship events!

Thank you to Anne Serazin and Howard Public School which ran a fundraiser to raise awareness of refugees. They held 2 movie showings, the one for the junior grades at the Revue. Thank to The Revue who graciously donated the theatre for this use. The kids raised a great sum!

Evolve Chiropractic on Roncesvalles is running a Monthly raffle for a Massage. A $5.00 ticket gives you a chance at a $100.00 massage with proceeds to RRR.

Please forward to anyone you know who may be interested.Caleche is a ladies wear fashion store in Bloor West Village that is offering our supporters a $25.00 gift certificate (PDF: http://www.slideshare.net/stephenabram1/caleche-25-gift-certificate-rrr) and will donate to RRR 5% of purchases made up to May 31/16 by customers who identify themselves as RRR supporters. You can view their fashions by visiting their website at www.calecheladieswear.ca . What could be better – a new outfit for you and 5% of the price to a refugee family!

Capucci is a great hair salon (for men and women)in Bloor West Village that has chosen RRR as their charity of the year. They will be offering a one day special in which their stylists and colourists will offer women's cuts for $60 (men $30, children $20) or single-process colours ($50) and $20 blow dries and 25% off products with all proceeds going to RRR. Space is limited so call for appointments at 416-766-3287

We do have the date for Capucci. It’s Sunday, May 29th10-3 pm. Haircuts and colours are $50.00 each.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation directly to RRR, please go to our CanadaHelps page. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/rrr-roncesvalles-refugee-relief-fund/ . Many of you have already made a generous donation which is much appreciated – just wanted you to know about the Treat and Help options above.RRR is a non-faith-based neighbourhood group who have been moved by the plight of refugees around the world. We have submitted our request to Canada Immigration to sponsor a CIC approved family of 6 fleeing from devastating conditions in any country and hope to have a family here before the summer. We are working through Bloor Street United Church who are sharing with us their experience in working with refugees and extending their Charitable status to our donors.

The Roncesvalles Refugee Relief is more than happy to support the Syrian women who make the Matar handicrafts. A selection of unique and useful handcrafts will be available for sale.

MatarMatar is a non-governmental women’s organization that provides psychological, social, and financial support to internally displaced families within Syria. The organization was established in September 2011, six months after the beginning of the Syrian uprising by female activists experienced in community building and psychological and social support. The organization also includes volunteers with experience in art and education.The idea of Matar was conceived during visits to violence-stricken towns in order to offer condolences to the families who had lost loved ones and to provide them with some sustenance. The women collected donations from people in other settled towns to help the victims, but the mothers receiving aid expressed embarrassment because they were so used to being independent; accepting financial assistance was difficult for them. The activists decided to encourage appropriate work that allowed these women to continue to assert their autonomy, hone their craft skills, and give a sense of purpose while allowing them to remain with and support their families at home. The passion for knitting amongst women in smaller Syrian towns was an obvious choice. Matar decided to encourage these women to continue practicing and honing their craft and then selling the goods so they could feed their families.As well, after seeing the devastated psychological condition of many of these families – especially the youth - as a result of having to deal with the loss of friends and family and continuing to live under conditions of violence and oppression, Matar decided to add both psychological and social support.The name of the organization - “Matar” - was coined for two reasons. Matar means ‘rain’ in Arabic. Rain is essential in Syria, which has been suffering from drought in a region where agriculture is a primary source of livelihood. When it rains in Syria, it cheers people up and gives them hope of a better living and a sense of safety amongst the chaos and dust. Second, Matar is named after a Syrian hero, Ghiyath Matar. Right after the uprising in March 2011, Ghiyath (27-year-old) started a peaceful movement in his town Darayya, 30 minutes from Damascus. He would go to Assad’s security forces and soldiers, who were shooting peaceful protesters on the streets, and give each of them a bottle of water and a flower with a letter saying “We are all Syrians and we are your people; you should not kill us.” Sadly, Assad’s regime arrested Ghiyath and he was subsequently tortured to death in prison.The goals of the organization are:

To financially support families who have lost their providers

To provide psychological support to women (in particular those who had to flee their homes and those who lost their husbands) through making them financially independent and build trust

To provide social support to the women by motivating them to be more involved in society

To promote ideals of non-violence, citizenship, peaceful living, tolerance, and negotiation amongst women, youth, and children

To provide psychological support to youth and children.

Currently, Matar works with 190 women who live in three different towns: Swaida, Jaramana, and Barzeh.